"The show starts off with my character, rock star Eddie Duran, coming back from his first world tour. I've made him a mixture between Justin Bieber and Adam Levine. He wants to take a break and get back to writing. On the other end of the spectrum is this character Loren Tate—who is played by Brittany Underwood—and she's your average girl next door, but she happens to be incredibly talented at both singing and songwriting. They connect in the first episode when Eddie is on stage and Loren is at the concert in the audience, and then the story builds from there. It's about their opposite worlds."

The show takes a dramatic subject matter and turns it into a comedy. How do you make that work?

"I think it's awesome because it's only funny if it's set up properly and if the characters have the right structure. That's exactly what Ben has. He has a mom that doesn't work, so Emma has a grandmother that's always there to help her out, and his brother and best friend are both ready to take on the job. They're obviously nervous, but also really excited."

Photo: Nickelodeon

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Like a Spanish telenova, this show is on every night of the week. How do you handle that schedule?

"It's like nothing I've ever experienced before; the schedule is crazy. We shoot an episode a day! There are 80 episodes over fifteen weeks this season. I sing and perform all of my songs. It's a lot of time and effort, but it's a really good script. They do recaps in case someone misses a night or two, so it won't be difficult to catch up at all."

"I'm a musician myself, and I've grown up performing. Eddie's intentions are to stay true to himself and to inspire and connect with his fans. He's a rock star, so he's super fun and charming. That's what I thought about!"

Photo: Cody with costar Brittany Underwood (Nickelodeon)

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Do you have any plans to release an album of your own?

"I have a few singles that I'm dropping in July, and then I'm releasing an album in the fall."

What style of music are you recording?

"It's soul pop. Bruno Mars, Adam Levine, and Justin Bieber's new album are some of my inspirations. People will be able to dance to my songs, but I also have a beautiful ballad coming out."

What's the most-played song on your iPod?

"Right now, it's Alex Clare's 'Too Close.' He's very soulful, but he uses natural instruments and an electronic dubstep fusion sound. That's what I'm going to be doing on some of my tracks as well."

Photo: Cody with costar Melissa Ordway (Nickelodeon)

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What are your top career goals?

"A dream role would be to play Maverick in . That movie is just so amazing. On the singing side, I want to sell out Madison Square Garden."

Have you shot with James Franco yet? We read that he's guest starring on Hollywood Heights.

"Yes, he came on set in between a couple other movies he's shooting. It's crazy because he did like ten episodes in two days. He's a really incredible, generous, and nice person; he's great to work with. James has got this really undermining humor to him. He's just fun to be around."

Did James pull any pranks on set?

"Nothing crazy. I'm the biggest prankster on set. I'm big into scaring people. Everybody's afraid to walk around the corner because I may jolt them."

Photo: Cody with costar Brittany Underwood (Nickelodeon)

TV

Actor Cody Longo on New Nickelodeon Show Hollywood Heights

The 24-year-old performer talks about playing a rock star on the musical television show, which premieres June 18, and acting opposite guest star James Franco.